Daily Archives: September 6, 2011

LifeSiteNews.com: According to Bialecka, homosexual activists sent hundreds of e-mail to the medical school demanding the conference be banned from its facilities.
“The conference will take place nearby, but out of concern for the lecturer and the participants, we do not plan to publish the location of the new site,” she said.

Houston Chronicle: Kansas health officials moved ahead Tuesday with work designed to preserve new regulations for abortion providers despite a legal challenge in federal court that so far has blocked their enforcement.

Glenn T. Stanton at Baptist Press: There are two seismic — yet under-the-radar — trends happening in marriage and family today, but too few have taken note of them. The evangelical church would be wise to appreciate them, as we seek to minister in this area.

Baptist Press: “Planned Parenthood and other proponents of death work diligently to restrict the information mothers have about abortion and the life within them,” said Steven Aden, senior counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund, which filed a friend-of-the-court brief backing the state law. “It was incredible for the lower court to have determined that the law cannot acknowledge that a ‘pregnant woman has an existing relationship with that unborn human being’ because some human beings are somehow not ‘persons.’”

Vestnik Kavkaza: The president underlined that Muslims living in Austria must follow the local laws. Austria is a secular state, he noted.

PressTV: A northeastern Spain municipality with a 40-percent Muslim population has reportedly banned the Muslim call to prayer also known as Azan.

David Kopel at The Volokh Conspiracy » Who wants to provoke a constitutional crisis over abortion?: Among the questioners was Princeton University’s Robert George. Prof. George asked each candidate if he or she would support congressional legislation, under section 5 of the 14th Amendment, to ban abortion.

LifeNews.com: Anytime journalists feel the need to reinforce unexamined Planned Parenthood statements, they pull the Guttmacher card. The Guttmacher Institute, founded by former Planned Parenthood President and former Vice President of the American Eugenics Society, Alan F. Guttmacher, is continually lavished with misleading credentials by mainstream media.

Catholic Culture: Twenty masked men destroyed the altar, confessionals, and vestments in a parish in the southwestern Indian state of Kerala on the evening of September 4.

LifeNews.com: For a genuinely healthy national future–for a future in which America nurtures healthy children, personal and group initiative, and volunteerism, while avoiding stultifying bureaucracy and governmental totalism–it is imperative that the next president and next Congress have a firm and intelligent grasp on the real blessing that is our tradition of religious freedom.

Fox Nation: Muslim youths hacked a Christian family of eight to death in Nigeria’s volatile Plateau state on Sunday, local officials said, continuing a week of violence that has pitted gangs from the two faiths against each other and civilians.

LifeNews.com: In vitro fertilization (IVF) isn’t a topic that often crops up in pro-life circles, but I think it’s important to highlight this as an issue that affects the movement directly and has a profound impact on the way we view the dignity and value of every human life, both in and outside the womb.

Iran Human Rights: Articles 108 and 110 of the Iranian Islamic Penal code are part of the chapter covering the punishment of “Hadd” for “sodomy”. Article 108 says: “Sodomy (or Lavat) is sexual intercourse between men”, and article 110 says:”Punishment for sodomy is killing; the Sharia judge decides on how to carry out the killing”.

SMH.com.au: Spiralling rates of child abuse and neglect, of children being placed in foster care and of teenage mental health problems – including a dramatic rise in hospitalisation for self-harm – are rooted in the rise of one-parent families and de facto couples, violent or unstable relationships and divorce, the report says. Its author, Patrick Parkinson, a Sydney University law professor . . . | More information at Australian Christian Lobby | The Report is titled For Kids’ Sake

LifeNews.com: The 2008 presidential campaign of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani went nowhere in large part because of his pro-abortion position . Now, the former mayor has admitted that his position on social issues keeps him from the nomination.

Arizona cannot cancel the insurance benefits for the domestic partners of state and university workers who are gay, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Tuesday.

France 24: US auto giant Ford has started construction on a $1 billion manufacturing and engineering complex in India as it bets on the country to help drive global growth, a company statement said on Tuesday. The new manufacturing facilities in Sanand in the western state of Gujarat will create 5,000 jobs

ADF President and General Counsel Alan E. Sears at Townhall: In our time, a lot of attention is paid to outward symbols of religion. Around the world, various governments and workplaces have disallowed the wearing of crosses, for example, often in an effort to avoid giving “offense.” Frequently, however, the contemporary situation goes beyond mere outward symbols and touches on matters of conscience

Washington Times: In addition, the Florida-based company is raising eyebrows — and charges of “shakedown” — by trying to get non-porn companies to pay to prevent their brands from being registered as .xxx sites.

Washington Times: With the official end of the U.S. military’s ban two weeks away, gay-rights activists are pressing the Pentagon for more than just the right to serve openly.

Christian Today: The Evangelical Alliance says proposals to offer women independent counselling on abortion are “common sense”.

Christian Concern: Advice UK, the largest support network for free advice centres in the UK, has pushed out a Christian debt counselling charity from its membership for offering to pray with clients suffering from debt problems.

The Christian Institute: he Crown Prosecution Service has failed to prosecute dozens of people suspected of assisting a suicide over the past 18 months, it has emerged.

BusinessStandard.com: At the same time, decades of contractual promises made to unionised workers, including no-layoff clauses, are increasing the post office’s costs. Labour represents 80 per cent of the agency’s expenses, compared with 53 per cent at United Parcel Service and 32 per cent at FedEx, its two biggest private competitors. Postal workers also receive more generous health benefits than most other federal employees.

BBC News: The Tory MP trying to change abortion advice offered to women in England has criticised ministers for trying to influence a “free vote” on the issue.

LaTimes.com: During an hour of arguments, several state high court justices suggested the initiative system would be rendered meaningless if there was no one to defend ballot measures from court challenges.

But if the Tenth Amendment and a federal marriage amendment are clearly compatible, why does confusion persist over this issue?

Australian Broadcasting Corporation: Public polls have become so open to manipulation that they are virtually useless as an indicator of public opinion. The one that matters is the federal election where you can only vote once and Greg from Tallahassee won’t be there.

WESH Orlando: “Future breaches and failure to maintain the separation of church and state may lead to more serious disciplinary issues,” the superintendent said in the letter.

Beyond the lifting of societal taboos against co-habitation, experts agree that there’s one key reason that older people live together instead of tying the knot: money. For example, a widow who receives her late husband’s Social Security and pension will forfeit that income if she remarries, said Brown.

Houston Chronicle: House Democrats say putting a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage on the ballot would discourage job creation in North Carolina.

New York Daily News: The National Organization for Marriage plans to place billboards in the districts of four GOP senators who broke ranks and voted to legalize gay marriage in June.

USATODAY.com: The percentage of heterosexual men who reported having sex with someone other than their wife dropped to 10% in 2000 from 28% in 1975; among married women, it declined to 14% from 23%. Among gay men, the percentage who cheated on a partner they lived with dropped to 59% from 83%; for lesbians it declined to 8% from 28%.

JSOnline: If she wins, Baldwin would be the first openly gay person to serve in the U.S. Senate. “The fact is, I’ve been honest about my sexual orientation my entire adult life,” she said. “And integrity is important in public service. But what voters are looking for is somebody who understands them, is fighting for them and won’t give up. The election is not going to be about me, it’s about the voters.”

Christian Newswire: According to a new study released by the Guttmacher Institute, increased funding for Planned Parenthood has had no impact on the rate of unintended pregnancies across the nation, as Eric Scheidler, Executive Director of the Pro-Life Action League, stated in his latest commentary. Even more startling is the unintended pregnancy rate among poor women, which the Guttmacher report says has “increased dramatically.”

Sanders, Steve, The Constitutional Right to (Keep Your) Same-sex Marriage: Why the Due Process Clause Protects Marriages that Cross State Lines, Even if Conflict of Laws Cannot (August 24, 2011). Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1903386

Religion Clause: John Cornyn has written the Secretary of the Air Force (full text of letter) expressing concern that the instruction has been suspended.

OneNewsNow.com: A Virginia street preacher’s “noise” equals constitutionally free speech, according to a legal group.

OneNewsNow.com: At churches, shopping centers and schools in California, volunteers have started gathering signatures for a ballot referendum that would repeal the nation’s first law requiring public schools to include prominent homosexuals and gay rights’ milestones in school lessons.

OneNewsNow.com: Kate Casas says the state is ignoring the provision of the 1993 Outstanding Schools Act, which requires that each district’s board of education provides tuition and transportation for students who want to transfer from schools that lose their accreditation.

Larry J. Sabato at WSJ.com: Republicans therefore are a lock or lead in 24 states for 206 electoral votes, and Democrats have or lead in 19 states for 247 electoral votes. That’s why seven super-swing states with 85 electors will determine which party gets to the magic number of 270 electoral votes: Colorado (9), Florida (29), Iowa (6), Nevada (6), New Hampshire (4), Ohio (18) and Virginia (13).

AP: The 6-year-old daughter of a blind Chinese activist under unofficial house arrest has been barred from leaving her home and is unable to attend school, another activist said Tuesday.

Mark W. Leach at Public Discourse: A regulation should not be allowed to target a portion of our society for elimination without public debate by accountable elected officials. If the regulation is to remain in place, then additional funding should be provided for all the information required to respect a woman’s choice following a prenatal diagnosis.

AP: “This is a pivotal hearing for us as we continue to fight to uphold the People’s vote to restore traditional marriage in California against these ferocious attacks,” Andy Pugno, legal counsel for the Proposition 8 coalition said in a letter to supporters last week. “We simply cannot allow our opponents to manipulate the legal system to the point where there is nobody left to defend the People!”

AP: The New York Police Department collected intelligence on more than 250 mosques and Muslim student groups in and around New York, often using undercover officers and informants to canvass the Islamic population of America’s largest city, according to officials and confidential, internal documents obtained by The Associated Press.

AP: British lawmakers are reconsidering the country’s approach to abortion, igniting a debate over whether clinics that are paid to carry out abortions should also be allowed give advice to women unsure of how to handle an unwanted pregnancy.

Today there are 150 children, all conceived with sperm from one donor, in this group of half siblings, and more are on the way. “It’s wild when we see them all together — they all look alike” . . .

Christian Post: “Voters should not be left without any defense just because their officials refused to defend them,” said Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, in a statement. ADF attorneys are part of the ProtectMarriage.com legal team. “Because the people of California have a right to be defended, the official proponents of Proposition 8 need to be allowed to step in and defend California’s marriage amendment. Otherwise, state officials will succeed in indirectly invalidating a measure that they had no power to strike down directly.

The Tennessean (includes photo of Erik): On Friday, the church, armed with lawyers from the conservative Arizona-based Christian legal group The Alliance Defense Fund, took its case to Davidson County Chancery Court and argued that its constitutional rights are being violated. Alliance Defense Fund lawyer Erik Stanley noted that state law exempts college bookstores, hospital gift shops and “family wellness centers” from paying property taxes. “In each of these instances, facilities similarly situated are granted a property tax exemption,” Stanley said. “Where the line is drawn here, it must be drawn consistently.”

OneNewsNow.com: Meanwhile, Austin R. Nimocks, senior legal counsel at the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), is working with attorneys and others who want to defend the voter-approved measure that recognizes marriage only between one man and one woman. “Ultimately, this hearing concerns whether the people of California who voted for Proposition 8 will be defended at all,” Nimocks summarizes.

San Jose Mercury News: “Voters should not be left without any defense just because their officials refused to defend them,” said Austin Nimocks, senior counsel for the conservative Alliance Defense Fund.

The New American: Steven H. Aden of the Alliance Defense Fund, which had filed a brief in the case on behalf of a number of pro-life groups, noted that a “child’s life is worth more than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line. Planned Parenthood and other proponents of death work diligently to restrict the information mothers have about abortion and the life within them.” He added that it was “incredible for the lower court to have determined that the law cannot acknowledge that a ‘pregnant woman has an existing relationship with that unborn human being’ because some human beings are somehow not ‘persons.’ The 8th Circuit rightly determined that it’s perfectly constitutional to inform women of an undisputed biological fact.”

ADF appeals 9th Circuit ruling that upheld Idaho ban on all religious,
classical Western Civ. texts from objective study in every public school, university

WorldNetDaily: “A child’s life is worth more than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line,” said Steve H. Aden, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, which filed an amicus brief on behalf of the Family Research Council, CareNet, Heartbeat International and the National Institute of Family and Life Advocates. The key attorney on the case was Harold Cassidy, one of more than 2,000 lawyers in the ADF organization. “Planned Parenthood and other proponents of death work diligently to restrict the information mothers have about abortion and the life within them. It was incredible for the lower court to have determined that the law cannot acknowledge that a ‘pregnant woman has an existing relationship with that unborn human being’ because some human beings are somehow not ‘persons.’ The 8th Circuit rightly determined that it’s perfectly constitutional to inform women of an undisputed biological fact,” Aden said.

Read more: Abortionists ordered to follow disputed ‘informed consent’ law http://www.wnd.com/?pageId=340785#ixzz1XBbIehIW

Deseret News: The Alliance Defense Fund in turn says that getting rid of filters like “sexuality” would not be a good idea.
“School districts shouldn’t be bullied into exposing students to sexually explicit materials,” ADF attorney David Cortman, told OneNewsNow. He went on to say that “the ACLU is pushing its radical sexual agenda for children by intimidating school districts with a long string of scare tactics,” adding that if demands are met, certain pornographic and pro-homosexual websites would be available to students.

LifeNews.com: “A child’s life is worth more than Planned Parenthood’s bottom line,” said ADF Senior Counsel Steven H. Aden. “Planned Parenthood and other proponents of death work diligently to restrict the information mothers have about abortion and the life within them. It was incredible for the lower court to have determined that the law cannot acknowledge that a ‘pregnant woman has an existing relationship with that unborn human being’ because some human beings are somehow not ‘persons.’ The 8th Circuit rightly determined that it’s perfectly constitutional to inform women of an undisputed biological fact.”

Jeremy Dys at Engage Family Minute: I cannot think of a single pastor that I know who would answer that question with any answer but, “Christ himself.” Yet, that does not seem to be the way the IRS and some politicians view it . . . To that end, let me commend to you the work of the Alliance Defense Fund and www.PulpitFreedom.org. On Sunday, October 2, 2011 – just 2 days, providentially, before West Virginia’s special election for governor – the Alliance Defense Fund is encouraging pastors to participate in Pulpit Freedom Sunday.